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Wissmann: German automotive industry is world’s leading provider; Germany must also become the leading market

Berlin, 03 February 2016

German Government considers promotion for electric mobility

“The German automotive companies have invested 14 billion euro in electric mobility over recent years and are now among the world’s leading providers. However, Germany has some way to catch up to develop into the leading market. It is therefore urgently necessary to put the required measures in place for establishing a nationwide charging infrastructure and targeted direct or indirect market incentives,” said Matthias Wissmann, President of the German Association of the Automotive Industry (VDA). “These decisions should become effective before the year’s end.”

No other automotive nation had a wider range of electric vehicles available, the VDA president said, and explained, “German manufacturers now have 29 electric vehicles on offer as series models.” Despite the broad range available, he continued, the market for e-vehicles in this country was still modest. In 2015 the proportion of electric new vehicles in Germany came to only 0.7 percent. Wissmann stated, “Up to now the purchase of electric cars has not been attractive for German customers. In other countries such as Norway and the Netherlands, the German manufacturers take more than 50 percent of the electric vehicle market. This shows that our vehicles give the customers what they want.”

Wissmann drew attention to the need for extra work on the infrastructure in order to catch up. At present there are 5,600 public charging points in Germany. “That isn’t anything like enough. Customers justifiably expect a simple charging infrastructure in public spaces. Investments in the network of charging pillars are therefore just as important as an initiative to promote public procurement of these vehicles.”

Wissmann stressed, “Electric mobility is a key technology for a coordinated strategy on climate, mobility and raw materials. The CO2 targets agreed in Paris can be achieved only with a considerable proportion of electric vehicles. The German automotive industry will therefore continue to push forward its global offensive for electric mobility. The distance that vehicles can cover will increase, and prices will come down. By 2025 we expect the costs to be half of those of today’s battery-powered models.”

According to calculations by the NPE, the range of an electric car today is already sufficient for around 90 percent of all planned journeys, because the average daily mileage in Germany is only 22 kilometers. Wissmann said, “Those who drive longer distances can opt for a chargeable hybrid vehicle.”